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So I'm a Spider, So What? Light Novel #1
So I'm a Spider, So What? Vol. 1
“Aku”, yang seharusnya seorang gadis SMA, tiba-tiba terlahir kembali sebagai monster laba-laba di dunia lain!? Meskipun berhasil melarikan diri dari induk laba-laba yang kanibal, aku berakhir di dungeon terburuk yang dihuni katak beracun, ular raksasa, monyet raksasa, dan bahkan naga…? Dapatkah “aku”, yang cuma seekor laba-laba mungil bertahan hidup di sarang monster ini…? Tidak masuk akal, bukan!!? Siapa pun dalang dari semua ini, TUNJUKKAN DIRIMUUUUUU!!!!
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
November 22, 2017
What a delight!
I love the premise of being reborn as a spider in a dungeon. The lead and her struggles are engaging. There is a mix of action and downtime. It develops the world in an engaging way and you learn along side the lead. There are additional point of views, but the majority is spent with the spider (honestly her parts of the story truly are the best).
Lots of imaginative critters, a slightly bloodthirsty lead and a mystery yet to be resolved-what more can you ask for?
Of course, reader beware-the sequel doesn't come out till MARCH. Whatever will I do having to wait for more of the story? My overeager self finished this book within 24 hours. Shame on me. Now I have to wait and wait and wait and wait.
I love the premise of being reborn as a spider in a dungeon. The lead and her struggles are engaging. There is a mix of action and downtime. It develops the world in an engaging way and you learn along side the lead. There are additional point of views, but the majority is spent with the spider (honestly her parts of the story truly are the best).
Lots of imaginative critters, a slightly bloodthirsty lead and a mystery yet to be resolved-what more can you ask for?
Of course, reader beware-the sequel doesn't come out till MARCH. Whatever will I do having to wait for more of the story? My overeager self finished this book within 24 hours. Shame on me. Now I have to wait and wait and wait and wait.
June 25, 2021
A classroom full of students, and their teacher, die when a mysterious rift opens up in the ceiling. One of the students is reincarnated as a little spider who's just been born, and from very early on her life is full of danger, death... and leveling up.
As one might expect from the title, the spider's story--her student alias is not yet revealed--is the major arc in the book. It's through her point of view that we learn the major mechanics of leveling up and gaining skills. At first she freaks out and panics, and is disgusted at the idea of having to eat raw dead things, including a hapless sibling. She loses her squeamishness regarding food the first time she feels hungry, and after that has no reluctance to kill to survive. "It intended to kill me, so I had no qualms about killing it" is her general attitude toward her situation. It isn't long before she's cannily approaching danger, and defeating creatures using clever tactics and her spider skills like Thread Control and Venomous Bite.
The other arc of the story features a handful of characters from the class who reincarnated as humanoids. Fei, a baby earth dragon, ends up as a pet of a prince named Shun, and both are reincarnated students. (Fei was a bully in her previous life and feels that her being a pet is a kind of penance for her actions in her previous life.) Katia, another reincarnation, is a duke's daughter who was a boy when she was a student in Japan. Their teacher, Ms. Oka, reincarnated as an elf.
There is some amount of bleedthrough between the two arcs. For example, an egg that the spider finds and eventually must abandon when she is attacked by some adventurers, ends up being the egg that Fei hatches from. My impression was that Shun and the other humanoids reincarnated before the spider and Fei, but a couple of people I know who have watched the anime based on this book tell me that that isn't the case...
Aside from the very obvious level and skill-ups, the spider's sections feel "video gamey" in other ways. The ecosystem of the dungeon is centered entirely on monsters fighting and devouring each other. But what do the creatures on the very bottom of the food chain eat? Are there any plants, moss, etc.? This is a massive dungeon that spans underground under at least two continents. There must be some way for air to circulate so its inhabitants can live. We don't worry about stuff like that when we're playing games--it's an ice cave, who cares if anything could survive in it in real life?--but in a book I wonder how it all fits together, or whether the author's put any consideration into their worldbuilding.
There are several similarities between this and The Wandering Inn: Book 1: major alternating points of view are labeled with an initial and number, i.e. S1 for Shun's chapters. Skills and level-ups are shown near the exact same way, in braces, like so: [Paralysis Resistance LV 1], and the characters learn about them through a disembodied voice or heads-up display. There's a similar emphasis on physical pain, minor body horror, and death, as well. I haven't read enough isekai/LitRPG stories to know if these are the standard way to approach this genre, or if one story inspired the other.
The occasional minor cross-pollination between the points of view makes me believe that the spider and the reincarnated crew outside the dungeon will meet/confront each other someday. I'm interested in seeing that, but with twelve volumes to date, I have doubts I'll have the energy to make it all the way through the journey.
Still, this is a promising start, and unlike practically every light novel I've read, there's next to nothing cringeworthy in it. It has a "composed for the internet" vibe: it's fannish, funny, energetic and compelling. The spider's voice in particular is really fun. Shun and co's sections, while not quite as enjoyable, are short and infrequent enough that they don't slow things down all that much.
I hope that this series stays light and brisk... with a bit of darkness, peril and gore. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the spider's adventures.
As one might expect from the title, the spider's story--her student alias is not yet revealed--is the major arc in the book. It's through her point of view that we learn the major mechanics of leveling up and gaining skills. At first she freaks out and panics, and is disgusted at the idea of having to eat raw dead things, including a hapless sibling. She loses her squeamishness regarding food the first time she feels hungry, and after that has no reluctance to kill to survive. "It intended to kill me, so I had no qualms about killing it" is her general attitude toward her situation. It isn't long before she's cannily approaching danger, and defeating creatures using clever tactics and her spider skills like Thread Control and Venomous Bite.
The other arc of the story features a handful of characters from the class who reincarnated as humanoids. Fei, a baby earth dragon, ends up as a pet of a prince named Shun, and both are reincarnated students. (Fei was a bully in her previous life and feels that her being a pet is a kind of penance for her actions in her previous life.) Katia, another reincarnation, is a duke's daughter who was a boy when she was a student in Japan. Their teacher, Ms. Oka, reincarnated as an elf.
There is some amount of bleedthrough between the two arcs. For example, an egg that the spider finds and eventually must abandon when she is attacked by some adventurers, ends up being the egg that Fei hatches from. My impression was that Shun and the other humanoids reincarnated before the spider and Fei, but a couple of people I know who have watched the anime based on this book tell me that that isn't the case...
Aside from the very obvious level and skill-ups, the spider's sections feel "video gamey" in other ways. The ecosystem of the dungeon is centered entirely on monsters fighting and devouring each other. But what do the creatures on the very bottom of the food chain eat? Are there any plants, moss, etc.? This is a massive dungeon that spans underground under at least two continents. There must be some way for air to circulate so its inhabitants can live. We don't worry about stuff like that when we're playing games--it's an ice cave, who cares if anything could survive in it in real life?--but in a book I wonder how it all fits together, or whether the author's put any consideration into their worldbuilding.
There are several similarities between this and The Wandering Inn: Book 1: major alternating points of view are labeled with an initial and number, i.e. S1 for Shun's chapters. Skills and level-ups are shown near the exact same way, in braces, like so: [Paralysis Resistance LV 1], and the characters learn about them through a disembodied voice or heads-up display. There's a similar emphasis on physical pain, minor body horror, and death, as well. I haven't read enough isekai/LitRPG stories to know if these are the standard way to approach this genre, or if one story inspired the other.
The occasional minor cross-pollination between the points of view makes me believe that the spider and the reincarnated crew outside the dungeon will meet/confront each other someday. I'm interested in seeing that, but with twelve volumes to date, I have doubts I'll have the energy to make it all the way through the journey.
Still, this is a promising start, and unlike practically every light novel I've read, there's next to nothing cringeworthy in it. It has a "composed for the internet" vibe: it's fannish, funny, energetic and compelling. The spider's voice in particular is really fun. Shun and co's sections, while not quite as enjoyable, are short and infrequent enough that they don't slow things down all that much.
I hope that this series stays light and brisk... with a bit of darkness, peril and gore. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the spider's adventures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2020
A battle between a Hero and a Demon Lord in another world somehow results in a spell entering our world and killing off an entire Classical Literature class in a Japanese high school. Every single person in that class is then reborn in another world. This book's primary protagonist (who thus far has not been given a name, unless I missed it) is reborn as a spider. Specifically, as a Small Lesser Taratect, a type of monster.
This new world is set up like a fantasy RPG. Literally. Everything anyone does gradually levels up their stats and can potentially give them special skills and titles, just like in an RPG. Unfortunately, Spider MC (the name I'll be using for the book's heroine) has no game guides she can consult - it's all trial and error in a quest to survive, because she's unfortunately stuck inside one of this world's biggest underground labyrinths with a bunch of other beings who want to kill and/or eat her.
There is a certain light novel style that I've become resigned to, a very spare first-person POV that can be annoyingly lacking in descriptions. So I'm a Spider, So What? definitely fell into that category, but surprisingly it was actually pretty good, even though I tended to forget what the various types of monsters were supposed to look like due to the general lack of detailed descriptions. The sections from Spider MC's POV were very light and breezy, despite all the monster killing and eating. She adjusted to her new life extremely quickly (she'd never been attached to her old life, with little emotional connection to either her parents or her classmates) and seemed to enjoy living in the moment and puzzling through her new world as best she could, so the immediacy of her POV worked pretty well.
Spider MC spent much of her time either level grinding, eating, trying out any new skills the Divine Voice (a voice in her head that let her know when she leveled anything up or gained new skills or titles) told her she'd acquired, or desperately trying to survive against either very strong or numerous opponents she accidentally attracted. Some of the grinding was a little boring, despite Spider MC's cheerful and occasionally macabre sense of humor, so it was a bit of a relief that she wasn't the book's only focus.
Remember how I said that the entire Classical Literature class was reborn in another world? Well, they were all reborn in this same world, although by the end of the book Spider MC still hadn't realized that. Sections from Spider MC's POV occasionally alternated with sections from another reborn character's POV, as well as a few other characters I'm assuming weren't part of the reborn class.
The other reborn character, a boy named Shun who was reborn as Schlain Zagan Analeit, fourth prince of the Kingdom of Analeit, had a completely different experience than Spider MC - a different view of how the skills and points worked, differently allocated stats, and a different set of knowledge. It was interesting to see how the world worked from his perspective rather than Spider MC's, and I'm looking forward to the moment when their paths cross and Spider MC is potentially able to learn more about all the things she can currently only guess at. Assuming that Shun and Spider MC don't kill each other, considering that he'd view her as any other monster while she'd view him as a human who'd try to burn her alive if she let him.
One thing I'm really hoping that future volumes will deal with more: the issues involved with being reborn into a body that doesn't match your sense of self at all. Unless the reality is that the characters' new bodies really do match their inner selves, in which case that could be interesting as well, depending on how the author chooses to handle it. Crossing my fingers that Okina Baba doesn't opt to just completely ignore this aspect - I'm particularly thinking of the potential issues surrounding .
There was so much focus on setup and getting Spider MC leveled up that not much happened in this particular volume, so I'm hoping that the next volume has more forward movement beyond "Spider MC enters a new area, kills and eats things, and gains new skills." That said, odds are looking good that I'll be reading at least a few volumes of this. I bought this first volume on a whim and was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.
Extras:
A brief afterword by the author (whose voice reads exactly like Spider MC's), several black and white illustrations throughout, and two full-color illustrations on a folded sheet. I wasn't really a fan of the illustrations, but they were often the best guide I had to what many of the monsters might look like.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
This new world is set up like a fantasy RPG. Literally. Everything anyone does gradually levels up their stats and can potentially give them special skills and titles, just like in an RPG. Unfortunately, Spider MC (the name I'll be using for the book's heroine) has no game guides she can consult - it's all trial and error in a quest to survive, because she's unfortunately stuck inside one of this world's biggest underground labyrinths with a bunch of other beings who want to kill and/or eat her.
There is a certain light novel style that I've become resigned to, a very spare first-person POV that can be annoyingly lacking in descriptions. So I'm a Spider, So What? definitely fell into that category, but surprisingly it was actually pretty good, even though I tended to forget what the various types of monsters were supposed to look like due to the general lack of detailed descriptions. The sections from Spider MC's POV were very light and breezy, despite all the monster killing and eating. She adjusted to her new life extremely quickly (she'd never been attached to her old life, with little emotional connection to either her parents or her classmates) and seemed to enjoy living in the moment and puzzling through her new world as best she could, so the immediacy of her POV worked pretty well.
Spider MC spent much of her time either level grinding, eating, trying out any new skills the Divine Voice (a voice in her head that let her know when she leveled anything up or gained new skills or titles) told her she'd acquired, or desperately trying to survive against either very strong or numerous opponents she accidentally attracted. Some of the grinding was a little boring, despite Spider MC's cheerful and occasionally macabre sense of humor, so it was a bit of a relief that she wasn't the book's only focus.
Remember how I said that the entire Classical Literature class was reborn in another world? Well, they were all reborn in this same world, although by the end of the book Spider MC still hadn't realized that. Sections from Spider MC's POV occasionally alternated with sections from another reborn character's POV, as well as a few other characters I'm assuming weren't part of the reborn class.
The other reborn character, a boy named Shun who was reborn as Schlain Zagan Analeit, fourth prince of the Kingdom of Analeit, had a completely different experience than Spider MC - a different view of how the skills and points worked, differently allocated stats, and a different set of knowledge. It was interesting to see how the world worked from his perspective rather than Spider MC's, and I'm looking forward to the moment when their paths cross and Spider MC is potentially able to learn more about all the things she can currently only guess at. Assuming that Shun and Spider MC don't kill each other, considering that he'd view her as any other monster while she'd view him as a human who'd try to burn her alive if she let him.
One thing I'm really hoping that future volumes will deal with more: the issues involved with being reborn into a body that doesn't match your sense of self at all. Unless the reality is that the characters' new bodies really do match their inner selves, in which case that could be interesting as well, depending on how the author chooses to handle it. Crossing my fingers that Okina Baba doesn't opt to just completely ignore this aspect - I'm particularly thinking of the potential issues surrounding .
There was so much focus on setup and getting Spider MC leveled up that not much happened in this particular volume, so I'm hoping that the next volume has more forward movement beyond "Spider MC enters a new area, kills and eats things, and gains new skills." That said, odds are looking good that I'll be reading at least a few volumes of this. I bought this first volume on a whim and was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.
Extras:
A brief afterword by the author (whose voice reads exactly like Spider MC's), several black and white illustrations throughout, and two full-color illustrations on a folded sheet. I wasn't really a fan of the illustrations, but they were often the best guide I had to what many of the monsters might look like.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 17, 2022
As Isekai light novels go, this one is pretty generic. It's only gimmick is that the protagonist is a spider monster rather than a human, but it goes through basically the exact same progression as you might expect. You know how after Twilight got big, there were a whole bunch of copycat series popping up. Or the Hunger Games. It was the same with that. This feels like kind of the same thing. A generic Isekai series churned out to capitalize on the current anime fad. It's not bad or anything, I've just seen the same thing done better elsewhere.
November 29, 2017
I first read So I'm a Spider, So What? years ago as a machine translated web novel, and I really really liked it, so finding out the light novel was licensed was pretty exciting.
Basically, the plot of vol 1, a classroom of students die and get reincarnated in a fantasy world. We follow the story of a girl without a name as she's born a spider and does her best to survive in what's pretty much a really large dungeon. She's weak but she's smart, and through luck and skill and quick thinking she survives enemies that should've been able to kill her easily. What's cool is this world is like a jrpg, there are levels and skills and as an obsessive grinder reading about Nameless Spider (NS) grinding and gaining new skills and levels was exciting for me.
There are some S chapters that follow another reincarnated classmate. Shun, a boy who reincarnates as a prince, is OP and surrounded by girls. He's pretty much the typical protagonist of these kinds of stories, and pretty much lives the exact opposite life of NS who's every day is a struggle to survive. I consider his chapters primarily world building and set up. Through him, we're also introduced to some of the other reincarnated classmates.
There are two interlude chapters that follow an adventurer and are pretty much set up for a later situation.
This book is all 1st person pov, but it's easy to differentiate between NS & Shun's pov since NS is pretty isolated and unable to talk (since she's a spider) so her narration is like a conversation, and she's a bit of a weirdo.
Quick thoughts:
- The illustration's really fit the story.
- I liked the inclusion of the class list. NA never mentions her name and Shun didn't know it either, so I like to look at the list and wonder 'is this her?".
- I liked the monster encyclopedia exerts, just wish there were more of them.
- The font is small, I compared it to my other light novels and it definitely is smaller.
- Why is a random spider envolving such a big deal considering the monsters in this labyrinth?
- There's like two or three blank pages, what's that about.
- I didn't like the title of the last chapter, usually when it's another character's pov the title will have a letter or something to differentiate it from NA's chapters, but for some reason, the last chapter didn't follow this format.
- Why doesn't NS have a name? Shun introduces himself right away, but NS doesn't even consider it. Because she's a spider? It's a really minor mystery, but it's kind of intriguing.
- Shun is actually surrounded by a yandere lil sis, a friend (childhood friend?) who's become a girl, a female pet, a female knight, a female maid (I actually forgot her title but she can do magic), and a legal loli. I mean, Oka definitely counts as a legal loli, she's close enough. But hey, he admires his big bro! So not all girls.
Differences I noticed between the web novel & light novel:
- The biggest difference has to be the inclusion of the egg. I liked the addition, but props to the author for being willing to rewrite so much of the story.
- A minor but also a nice change, the chapters are combined to make one long chapter instead of a bunch of shorter ones.
- I can't remember if there were any Adventurer interlude chapters, but it seems like a new plot point might be being developed?
Final Thoughts: I really like this series, I just want to root for NS, and I'm really into grinding (man I want to play a jrpg now). Just a warning, this is the first arc and things change in a big way later on. The story definitely becomes more complicated, so it won't be NS leveling up forever (sadly).
Basically, the plot of vol 1, a classroom of students die and get reincarnated in a fantasy world. We follow the story of a girl without a name as she's born a spider and does her best to survive in what's pretty much a really large dungeon. She's weak but she's smart, and through luck and skill and quick thinking she survives enemies that should've been able to kill her easily. What's cool is this world is like a jrpg, there are levels and skills and as an obsessive grinder reading about Nameless Spider (NS) grinding and gaining new skills and levels was exciting for me.
There are some S chapters that follow another reincarnated classmate. Shun, a boy who reincarnates as a prince, is OP and surrounded by girls. He's pretty much the typical protagonist of these kinds of stories, and pretty much lives the exact opposite life of NS who's every day is a struggle to survive. I consider his chapters primarily world building and set up. Through him, we're also introduced to some of the other reincarnated classmates.
There are two interlude chapters that follow an adventurer and are pretty much set up for a later situation.
This book is all 1st person pov, but it's easy to differentiate between NS & Shun's pov since NS is pretty isolated and unable to talk (since she's a spider) so her narration is like a conversation, and she's a bit of a weirdo.
Quick thoughts:
- The illustration's really fit the story.
- I liked the inclusion of the class list. NA never mentions her name and Shun didn't know it either, so I like to look at the list and wonder 'is this her?".
- I liked the monster encyclopedia exerts, just wish there were more of them.
- The font is small, I compared it to my other light novels and it definitely is smaller.
- Why is a random spider envolving such a big deal considering the monsters in this labyrinth?
- There's like two or three blank pages, what's that about.
- I didn't like the title of the last chapter, usually when it's another character's pov the title will have a letter or something to differentiate it from NA's chapters, but for some reason, the last chapter didn't follow this format.
- Why doesn't NS have a name? Shun introduces himself right away, but NS doesn't even consider it. Because she's a spider? It's a really minor mystery, but it's kind of intriguing.
- Shun is actually surrounded by a yandere lil sis, a friend (childhood friend?) who's become a girl, a female pet, a female knight, a female maid (I actually forgot her title but she can do magic), and a legal loli. I mean, Oka definitely counts as a legal loli, she's close enough. But hey, he admires his big bro! So not all girls.
Differences I noticed between the web novel & light novel:
- The biggest difference has to be the inclusion of the egg. I liked the addition, but props to the author for being willing to rewrite so much of the story.
- A minor but also a nice change, the chapters are combined to make one long chapter instead of a bunch of shorter ones.
- I can't remember if there were any Adventurer interlude chapters, but it seems like a new plot point might be being developed?
Final Thoughts: I really like this series, I just want to root for NS, and I'm really into grinding (man I want to play a jrpg now). Just a warning, this is the first arc and things change in a big way later on. The story definitely becomes more complicated, so it won't be NS leveling up forever (sadly).
August 14, 2020
Yet another book in with the theme of being reborn in another world as something unusual. In this case, a girl being reincarnated as a spider.
It seemed pretty generic to a degree when I picked this up, but my wife enjoyed it, so I figured I would give it a read. And boy oh boy, I loved it. Sure, a lot of your standard isekai tropes are there, from the leveling and evolving, to the standard fantasy setting. That said, one of the things I thought was interesting was the fact that it was the protagonist's entire class that got teleported, and they got teleported into different bodies.
And this is where we get to the part I liked/disliked about the book. Every few chapters we switch from the protagonist to her classmates who got reincarnated into human bodies and their adventures. On one hand, it was a but jarring and not as interesting as the spider's adventures. But on the other hand, it added a really good juxtaposition as to what is going on in relation to the spider's life. You get to see how the 'heroes' of the land are dealing with their new lives and the novel gears up for a confrontation between them and the spider later on.
In the end, I enjoyed this novel and immediately bought the next in line. The art style feels quite off with how the spider is described and feels a bit too cute for the story, but I also understand why they did that way. All in all, this is a good one for people to read if they are looking for a non-yet still-traditional isekai. Worth the read.
It seemed pretty generic to a degree when I picked this up, but my wife enjoyed it, so I figured I would give it a read. And boy oh boy, I loved it. Sure, a lot of your standard isekai tropes are there, from the leveling and evolving, to the standard fantasy setting. That said, one of the things I thought was interesting was the fact that it was the protagonist's entire class that got teleported, and they got teleported into different bodies.
And this is where we get to the part I liked/disliked about the book. Every few chapters we switch from the protagonist to her classmates who got reincarnated into human bodies and their adventures. On one hand, it was a but jarring and not as interesting as the spider's adventures. But on the other hand, it added a really good juxtaposition as to what is going on in relation to the spider's life. You get to see how the 'heroes' of the land are dealing with their new lives and the novel gears up for a confrontation between them and the spider later on.
In the end, I enjoyed this novel and immediately bought the next in line. The art style feels quite off with how the spider is described and feels a bit too cute for the story, but I also understand why they did that way. All in all, this is a good one for people to read if they are looking for a non-yet still-traditional isekai. Worth the read.
March 1, 2018
Not enough spider I wanted to like this book a lot more, however there's a male POV in it and of course he gets his Japanese name and a bunch of skills. He is basically the protagonist of the book even though we spend time with Spider Girl, who is not named.The other girl in this book is also a monster and Katia of course is one of Shun former male classmates.Basically women get screwed in this book. Could have had a female POV for the person that is going to be the hero.It's no wonder that Yen Press even translated it as it's listed as Seinen. Since Yen Press hates women and hasn't even looked into any shoujo novels to bring over like Saiunkoku Monogatari, Earl and Fairy, etc.I'm going to give this story one more book to get better. Otherwise I'm going to drop it.
March 27, 2018
I read the manga then found it was a light novel and found I might secretly love spiders now. I love the fact that most of the time it's from Nameless Spider but we also get to see others who have been reincarnated into this world. It was also interesting to see that Nameless Spider wasn't the only one who became a monster, at least as far as we know. I want to know who else we're going to come across!
Read
March 31, 2021Yes, I picked it because the anime made me curious :P.
So far it seems they've followed the light novel pretty closely. The humans' part moves more slowly (e.g. they meet Oka only at the end of the volume) but the amount of information provided seems the same.
In this first volume the story is pretty standard for the genre, but it's still entertaining and we'll have to see what happens once we're past this introductory phase.
So far it seems they've followed the light novel pretty closely. The humans' part moves more slowly (e.g. they meet Oka only at the end of the volume) but the amount of information provided seems the same.
In this first volume the story is pretty standard for the genre, but it's still entertaining and we'll have to see what happens once we're past this introductory phase.
January 12, 2022
Updating my rating of this book from 4 to 5 stars, because I think this is shaping up to be one of my favorite LN/LITRPG series.
Also, because I don't give star ratings to books with equal weight. The more niche the subgenre or indie the author, the more I'm inclined to round up not down. So, a 5 star LN is not equal to a 5 star 600-page novel or a 5-star book on criminal psychology, but they're all 5 stars within the context of their own genres accounting for weighted bias.
It's been only 2 or 3 days since I finished the first book, and I'm already missing all of the characters, not just Kumoko. I'm also excited to find out where this is going to go (I have seen the anime, and it's what made me want to read the LNs, because I suspected the source material was even better. So far I've been gratified.) Details and characters that were omitted or barely fleshed out in the anime, are in the book now presented as much more interesting and complex with more time dedicated to character development too. I also felt the book presented many of the supporting characters as being far more likable than in the anime.
That said, one of the things I loved most about this book was that it was clearly written by a female author using a female voice. I read a lot of LNs and LitRPG, genres both incredibly saturated by male authors penning male wish fulfillment characters...
--WHICH IS OKAY- men are entitled to writing and enjoying those stories however they please, but they often alienate me or don't speak to me due to the way female characters are usually treated in those genres.
I'm actually not straight, so I frequently pick up this kind of book in the delusional hope that I can just read about hot monster ladies, but for every male author that handles this well, there are dozens who don't. I'm just not the target audience for *that* kind of wish fulfilment. Which is what makes it okay. But having read many books like that, this was a very relieving breath of fresh air.
What I'm trying to say, is there was a welcome break in this book from those notorious and inescapable lines most male authors (even non-intentionally) are wont to vomit out every 2nd page about the shape of every female characters breasts, butt, etc (which as someone *attracted* to women, I don't fundamentally object to!--it's the manner in which they do so that bothers me) or the inclusion of some kind of scene that is infantilizing or sexually violating to female characters, or white knighting them as an excuse to be creepy with a virtual fedora on (I'm looking at you William D. Arand....)
I actually didn't think to check if Okina *is* a woman until I finished reading the book, but so she is. While I can't like an author just because of her gender, it came through so clearly in the text that my 'check' when I looked her up online felt more like 'confirm'. And I want to stress that this is a good thing for the reasons outlined above and below...
As a female NEET/general nerd/gaming person too, I really emotionally connect to well written characters of this kind (be they male or female, but I'm focusing on gender here because the female experience of having historically, or still predominantly, male-dominated hobbies means we may view things differently, because we are used to being seen and treated differently even when we try to assimilate).
It comforts me and makes me feel less alone when other women write these things and manage to write them well. This is really not always the case, which is why it shines for me when I see it. Okina's writing comes without the high levels of cringe "quirkiness" (but Kumoko IS quirky--just not in the classic way of "Notliketheothergirls-ism") often connotes. Her author voice is humble, genuine, honest and humorous without ever really punching down and with very little self-negging aside from the weirdly worded (possibly just really badly translated) phrase "...a bottom-of-the-barrel girl, like me" ) which is why I'm bumping this up to 5 stars.
The only thing in this book that I'm not so sure about, is Katia's predicament. Being vague here because I'm bad at spoiler tagging. I'm not sure if the author managed to address Katia's feelings about their body with better depth in later books, and I am not sure if she (the author) has the tools to address that in a well thought out manner based on everything so far. But, it's not enough to detract any of my enjoyment.
I will find out though, because I plan to finish this entire series.
Also, because I don't give star ratings to books with equal weight. The more niche the subgenre or indie the author, the more I'm inclined to round up not down. So, a 5 star LN is not equal to a 5 star 600-page novel or a 5-star book on criminal psychology, but they're all 5 stars within the context of their own genres accounting for weighted bias.
It's been only 2 or 3 days since I finished the first book, and I'm already missing all of the characters, not just Kumoko. I'm also excited to find out where this is going to go (I have seen the anime, and it's what made me want to read the LNs, because I suspected the source material was even better. So far I've been gratified.) Details and characters that were omitted or barely fleshed out in the anime, are in the book now presented as much more interesting and complex with more time dedicated to character development too. I also felt the book presented many of the supporting characters as being far more likable than in the anime.
That said, one of the things I loved most about this book was that it was clearly written by a female author using a female voice. I read a lot of LNs and LitRPG, genres both incredibly saturated by male authors penning male wish fulfillment characters...
--WHICH IS OKAY- men are entitled to writing and enjoying those stories however they please, but they often alienate me or don't speak to me due to the way female characters are usually treated in those genres.
I'm actually not straight, so I frequently pick up this kind of book in the delusional hope that I can just read about hot monster ladies, but for every male author that handles this well, there are dozens who don't. I'm just not the target audience for *that* kind of wish fulfilment. Which is what makes it okay. But having read many books like that, this was a very relieving breath of fresh air.
What I'm trying to say, is there was a welcome break in this book from those notorious and inescapable lines most male authors (even non-intentionally) are wont to vomit out every 2nd page about the shape of every female characters breasts, butt, etc (which as someone *attracted* to women, I don't fundamentally object to!--it's the manner in which they do so that bothers me) or the inclusion of some kind of scene that is infantilizing or sexually violating to female characters, or white knighting them as an excuse to be creepy with a virtual fedora on (I'm looking at you William D. Arand....)
I actually didn't think to check if Okina *is* a woman until I finished reading the book, but so she is. While I can't like an author just because of her gender, it came through so clearly in the text that my 'check' when I looked her up online felt more like 'confirm'. And I want to stress that this is a good thing for the reasons outlined above and below...
As a female NEET/general nerd/gaming person too, I really emotionally connect to well written characters of this kind (be they male or female, but I'm focusing on gender here because the female experience of having historically, or still predominantly, male-dominated hobbies means we may view things differently, because we are used to being seen and treated differently even when we try to assimilate).
It comforts me and makes me feel less alone when other women write these things and manage to write them well. This is really not always the case, which is why it shines for me when I see it. Okina's writing comes without the high levels of cringe "quirkiness" (but Kumoko IS quirky--just not in the classic way of "Notliketheothergirls-ism") often connotes. Her author voice is humble, genuine, honest and humorous without ever really punching down and with very little self-negging aside from the weirdly worded (possibly just really badly translated) phrase "...a bottom-of-the-barrel girl, like me" ) which is why I'm bumping this up to 5 stars.
The only thing in this book that I'm not so sure about, is Katia's predicament. Being vague here because I'm bad at spoiler tagging. I'm not sure if the author managed to address Katia's feelings about their body with better depth in later books, and I am not sure if she (the author) has the tools to address that in a well thought out manner based on everything so far. But, it's not enough to detract any of my enjoyment.
I will find out though, because I plan to finish this entire series.
June 23, 2023
this was cute but it creeped me out with all the bugs and gross animals in the story. 😱🕸️🕷️🐍🦎
March 23, 2021
The anime is probably much better than this. This has really no humor, and I kept pushing in reading it because I wanted to like this so much. But the biggest problem I had in this that all the character random just think they've died and been reincarnated, but everything points more toward virual-reality game. Like there are so many more possible but all the characters are just random adamant that it's reincarnation. And this isn't how reincarnation works at all, even if by chance you kept your memories of your past life, you wouldn't be reborn into a random alternate world of monsters, with a robotic voice talking to you periodically. But even if I ignore that very annoying thing, the characters are just so plain and randomly ok with this new life. Like the spider after a semi-very organized freak out, she just like ok, I'm a spider, let's do spider things. Like what? You wouldn't just settle with this. You be angry and depressed, and missing everything about you're past. But she not, she perfectly ok with this and I can't stand how 2-dimensional these characters are. Anime probably funnier visually and better, but the light novel not a good read.
April 18, 2018
My favorite fantasy monsters are giant spiders -- Shelob, It, the black widow from the Shrinking Man (which is only relatively gigantic, I admit), they're all awesome.
So how can I pass up a series told from the POV of a giant spider? I can't.
So how can I pass up a series told from the POV of a giant spider? I can't.
July 14, 2022
Fun and engaging despite being another "born in another world" tropey book. Curious to see where the two different story lines will go and how they will eventually meet.
August 11, 2021
Not really my style of light novel. Everyone was a bit shouty.
August 13, 2022
Spiders, Arachnids, hairy monsters!
A lot of people have an irrational fear about them. Some keep them as pets; Some others get reborn as a spider. That's right.
This was my second ever light novel (series) after I finished. reading That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 1tensura. And this is probably the third ever Isekai media I have consumed. I have seen the anime overlord. So you would be right to assume I am none too familiar with the common "other world" tropes. But from my limited experience, it is as Isekai as Isekais be.
Anyway, I got this book suggested from a Reddit thread and crawled myself into it.
The main character ( pardon my inability to remember Japanese names also, it didn't help that most of the book was in first person and there were no conversations in which the main character was involved.) is one among the 25 or so school kids who got transported into another realm where there are monsters. This world, for our convenience and according to the Isekai norms( I am taking an educated guess here), is designed as if it is from a videogame, specifically an RPG ( This was common in other Isekais I mentioned. I have also watched a bit of Sword art online which deals with people who literally get trapped in an RPG, same as Overlord) where you attack other "monsters" to improve your skills and ultimately "evolve". So I am a spider, so what too, like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime occasionally mentions that since this is another world, the only rule there is survival of the fittest ( social Darwinism without the guilt ftw!). The one main difference between these two is, as the title might suggest, is one is Slime and the other one a spider (surprise). Similarities aside, one colossal comfort for me in reading this is the absence of needlessly sexualised 3000-year-olds who look like (and graphically described) they are 12. But book one of the Slime books was objectively well-written ( props to the translator?) and easy to read. Or probably I just had more expectations starting this one. Anyway, this book is an excellent start to what seems to be a promising world. Although slightly underwhelmed by it, I will be reading the next book. Thank you for listening to my ted talk.
A lot of people have an irrational fear about them. Some keep them as pets; Some others get reborn as a spider. That's right.
This was my second ever light novel (series) after I finished. reading That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 1tensura. And this is probably the third ever Isekai media I have consumed. I have seen the anime overlord. So you would be right to assume I am none too familiar with the common "other world" tropes. But from my limited experience, it is as Isekai as Isekais be.
Anyway, I got this book suggested from a Reddit thread and crawled myself into it.
The main character ( pardon my inability to remember Japanese names also, it didn't help that most of the book was in first person and there were no conversations in which the main character was involved.) is one among the 25 or so school kids who got transported into another realm where there are monsters. This world, for our convenience and according to the Isekai norms( I am taking an educated guess here), is designed as if it is from a videogame, specifically an RPG ( This was common in other Isekais I mentioned. I have also watched a bit of Sword art online which deals with people who literally get trapped in an RPG, same as Overlord) where you attack other "monsters" to improve your skills and ultimately "evolve". So I am a spider, so what too, like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime occasionally mentions that since this is another world, the only rule there is survival of the fittest ( social Darwinism without the guilt ftw!). The one main difference between these two is, as the title might suggest, is one is Slime and the other one a spider (surprise). Similarities aside, one colossal comfort for me in reading this is the absence of needlessly sexualised 3000-year-olds who look like (and graphically described) they are 12. But book one of the Slime books was objectively well-written ( props to the translator?) and easy to read. Or probably I just had more expectations starting this one. Anyway, this book is an excellent start to what seems to be a promising world. Although slightly underwhelmed by it, I will be reading the next book. Thank you for listening to my ted talk.
December 4, 2024
Of course I thoroughly enjoyed going through this book and look forward to more! I was already a fan of the anime, and when I saw there was a novel series I knew I had to read it. While the descriptions of things aren’t very detailed, I appreciated the artwork that helped supplement that. It also helped that I’ve seen the anime so things were easier to visualize. With this type of writing, it’s really like a movie going through my head… things are so fast and action packed. The moments with the other classmates were… fine, it worked as reprieve from all the action with our spider girl.
If you haven’t already, give the anime a chance as well as reading this series, I think consuming both really elevates the experience.
If you haven’t already, give the anime a chance as well as reading this series, I think consuming both really elevates the experience.
March 19, 2022
Suspenseful, action-packed, and hilarious. I never would have guessed I would enjoy a story about a human reincarnated as a spider so much.
April 30, 2024
It's bloody amazing, already first book, and made me read another 15 soo....totally adore
June 29, 2021
So far it's witty in an unintentional way and i can appreciate that, I've always liked dialogue because I've found that I'm more easily bored without it, however with this book the lack of dialogue doesnt bother me and I'm intrigued.
April 8, 2021
This is not a proper story. It is a dry record of a DnD campaign.
Characters: 1/5 I was bored by them
World: 2/5 It was fine
Story: 2/5 It was decent
Characters:
This is the main problem of the characters: I can't experience their humanity, or any deep connection to them. Things in this story are written formulaically, like I write my DBQ essays for AP history classes.
"This thing happened. The main character did this thing, got these stat upgrades, and found out this other thing. The main character felt xyz."
That's the entire thing. It is a dry read that feels more like a shopping list than a truly gripping book. I guess this is what I should expect from a genre that is literally an attempt to translate RPGs to literature, but fundamentally these are still stories, just with stats. There is no excusable reason for making your story so dry and bland. Emotions are conveyed through boring descriptions of the nature of 'shaking and being scared' or 'squealing with excitement,' and character evolution is non-existent since we can't really get a feeling for any of the characters in the first place beyond "they work hard so they can level up and survive."
World:
This isn't the focus of the story, and it is fine for what it is.
Story:
This is handled rather poorly. When the characters are cookie cutter and boring, you rely on the story to save the day. Aside from the small novelty of being a spider, the story for this book was slow and boring, with people mindlessly leveling up for 75% of the book, for no greater purpose than 'they want to survive.' While the "need to survive" motivation would be enough if the characters were interesting enough to care about, they are not, so the story falls flat.
Characters: 1/5 I was bored by them
World: 2/5 It was fine
Story: 2/5 It was decent
Characters:
This is the main problem of the characters: I can't experience their humanity, or any deep connection to them. Things in this story are written formulaically, like I write my DBQ essays for AP history classes.
"This thing happened. The main character did this thing, got these stat upgrades, and found out this other thing. The main character felt xyz."
That's the entire thing. It is a dry read that feels more like a shopping list than a truly gripping book. I guess this is what I should expect from a genre that is literally an attempt to translate RPGs to literature, but fundamentally these are still stories, just with stats. There is no excusable reason for making your story so dry and bland. Emotions are conveyed through boring descriptions of the nature of 'shaking and being scared' or 'squealing with excitement,' and character evolution is non-existent since we can't really get a feeling for any of the characters in the first place beyond "they work hard so they can level up and survive."
World:
This isn't the focus of the story, and it is fine for what it is.
Story:
This is handled rather poorly. When the characters are cookie cutter and boring, you rely on the story to save the day. Aside from the small novelty of being a spider, the story for this book was slow and boring, with people mindlessly leveling up for 75% of the book, for no greater purpose than 'they want to survive.' While the "need to survive" motivation would be enough if the characters were interesting enough to care about, they are not, so the story falls flat.
March 29, 2018
Just a damn fun book. Written in the first person we follow our MC’s adventures in a fantasy world full of monsters, magic and adventure! Except she was reincarnated as a low level spider in the worlds largest dungeon, and is food for almost everything around her. Our nameless main character is what makes this novel so good, her reactions and actions are funny, sly and perhaps a little monstrous, which is quite fitting. In addition to our eight-legged MC, there are multiple side chapters that follow the much more straightforward, typical isekai format, of the two legged, now prince - Shun. Shun’s chapters aren’t as engaging or fun as our MC’s, but add to the grander scale of the world, comparatively make the MC’s struggle just that bit more entertaining and foreshadows greater things to come in the future.
Having read the web novel chapter’s online, there are a few noticeable differences that only further add to the fun nature of the story, and the translation of course is much more polished. So I’m A Spider, So What? is a tale of human intellect and tact substituted into a 3ft spider in another world in a dungeon, with a charming MC and fun yet simple adventures into a deadly dungeon. While a larger, broader plot line is hinted at here and there, and we instead focus on the MC’s struggle to survive, and her humourous attitude, which sure is damn fun. Some may not like the simple prose, and language, which admittedly could be a bit better, it isn’t necessary for a story like this, and did not hinder my enjoyment.
I greatly look forward to the next volume, and those that follow it, as the story only gets better from here on!
Having read the web novel chapter’s online, there are a few noticeable differences that only further add to the fun nature of the story, and the translation of course is much more polished. So I’m A Spider, So What? is a tale of human intellect and tact substituted into a 3ft spider in another world in a dungeon, with a charming MC and fun yet simple adventures into a deadly dungeon. While a larger, broader plot line is hinted at here and there, and we instead focus on the MC’s struggle to survive, and her humourous attitude, which sure is damn fun. Some may not like the simple prose, and language, which admittedly could be a bit better, it isn’t necessary for a story like this, and did not hinder my enjoyment.
I greatly look forward to the next volume, and those that follow it, as the story only gets better from here on!
February 12, 2017
From the very first page, this book is fast-paced and intriguing. Even in comparably dull moments, the author excels in using the main character to tell a detailed and engaging story.
I thought the main character was extremely relatable and found myself thinking that I would likely react in the same "freak out, but then think things through" manner that she does.
The other characters, while significantly less developed (due to only being featured in side chapters), are interesting in their own way. Due to the circumstances of the book, they also have some mildly extraordinary situations to deal with which provide an unobtrusive reprieve between major plot points.
The level of detail in this book is fantastic--every action and event has a corresponding reaction that the author clearly took the time to craft. If handled incorrectly, there are many instances and story-telling mechanics in the book that could easily confuse or overwhelm the reader, but I found it very clear and logical, which made it easy to enjoy and really get into. The main character's narrative also smoothed out any potentially confusing parts perfectly.
The only thing I can say that I wasn't 100% satisfied with is the art. I love the style, but some of the pictures seemed a little incongruent with the picture I already had in my head. BUT, I didn't choose the book for its pictures, so this is in no way a demerit.
Overall, I adored this book and often found myself laughing out loud or reading for much longer than I planned because I just couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this book.
I thought the main character was extremely relatable and found myself thinking that I would likely react in the same "freak out, but then think things through" manner that she does.
The other characters, while significantly less developed (due to only being featured in side chapters), are interesting in their own way. Due to the circumstances of the book, they also have some mildly extraordinary situations to deal with which provide an unobtrusive reprieve between major plot points.
The level of detail in this book is fantastic--every action and event has a corresponding reaction that the author clearly took the time to craft. If handled incorrectly, there are many instances and story-telling mechanics in the book that could easily confuse or overwhelm the reader, but I found it very clear and logical, which made it easy to enjoy and really get into. The main character's narrative also smoothed out any potentially confusing parts perfectly.
The only thing I can say that I wasn't 100% satisfied with is the art. I love the style, but some of the pictures seemed a little incongruent with the picture I already had in my head. BUT, I didn't choose the book for its pictures, so this is in no way a demerit.
Overall, I adored this book and often found myself laughing out loud or reading for much longer than I planned because I just couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this book.
January 21, 2018
Ya conociendo bastantes obras "Isekai" debo decir que Kumo desu ga esta en el top. La premisa de que comience siendo una debil araña y no un personaje OP es refrescante. Que hayan capitulos de la araña peleando contra abejas, algo tan pequeño e insignificante en los sucesos del "mundo". Me lei el fan translation hace un tiempo pero la edifición original es bastante buena.
Gracias a los fans que la sacaron igual y lograron aumentar la visibildiad en occidente de esta obra lo suficiente para que fuera editada. Esperando con ansias el tomo 2.
Los capitulos bonus son MUY buenos y dan una visión muy creativa al world building.
Gracias a los fans que la sacaron igual y lograron aumentar la visibildiad en occidente de esta obra lo suficiente para que fuera editada. Esperando con ansias el tomo 2.
Los capitulos bonus son MUY buenos y dan una visión muy creativa al world building.
March 14, 2018
I rather like this series. The MC is all over the damn place in this book. Not in a bad way, but in a way that's believable. She dies, comes back as a spider and is trying to figure out WTF is going on with life and how to not die. It's funny following her thought process throughout this entire book. The other thing that's cool is that you not only follow her around, but the other people who were sucked into this world as well and what trials and tribulations they are going through. If you've read the manga, you'll love the book even more. It explains a LOT more of what's going on behind the scense than the manga ever did. I'm looking forward to picking up the next book so much that I've stopped reading the manga so I can appreciate this even more.
January 24, 2019
The heroine describes herself as reclusive: no relationships with anyone from school, the barest relationship with her parents, a life that consisted mainly of eating a cup of instant ramen before hopping online to play MMORPGs. And at first, she tries to mimic her old life by building a safe web home where she just has to sleep and eat.
But then tragedy strikes her new home in the form of a band of humans coming to hunt her down. She realizes she can’t be proud of the life she’s lived so far–or either of them, really. And she decides she has to change.
Read more at Girls in Capes.
But then tragedy strikes her new home in the form of a band of humans coming to hunt her down. She realizes she can’t be proud of the life she’s lived so far–or either of them, really. And she decides she has to change.
Read more at Girls in Capes.
July 28, 2023
Kumodesu is such a good LN its not even funny. Kumoko is hilarious, and such a good character, and the fights are so good, you get stressed and anxious yourself. Typically I dont like isekai, but two LNs did it incredibly in my opinion, Kumodesu and Ascendance of a bookworm. Coincidentally these two are my favourite LNs of all time. Kumodesu is even better on a re-read too, because you know whats going on and you can pick up on the little hints and stuff in the early books. I couldnt recommend this more, if you like LNs and are looking for a recommendation.
August 27, 2021
To be honest, I'm still undecided on how I feel about this. On the one hand, I was entertained throughout. On the other, at times the narration felt extremely rushed and redundant. I'm curious about the world, sure, but the narrative structure makes it hard to imagine what's actually happening. This may be one where I end up just watching the anime and not bothering with the other light novels. I haven't decided yet.
April 20, 2021
Huh :D It's definitely not the standard "people end up in a game world" scenario that's for sure.
I really love the MC, she's the right mix of sarcastic and funny.
The other perspectives were okay, too, (since they were necessary for worldbuilding) though not as interesting as the main perspective. But those were short anyway.
I really love the MC, she's the right mix of sarcastic and funny.
The other perspectives were okay, too, (since they were necessary for worldbuilding) though not as interesting as the main perspective. But those were short anyway.
June 1, 2022
It start out very strong and was overall a great read. However, after a while it became a bit to repetitive for my liking, therefore I deduct one star from the overall rating. Great narration by Caitlin Kelly. Let's hope she'll return and narrate the remaining light novels.
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